Snow hampers grocery supplies

Tesco and Ocado both issued statements apologising to customers for delays to online shopping orders.

The UK was gripped by snow and ice over the weekend affecting deliveries into and from stores.

Parts of the M54 were closed on Saturday with junction six proving problematic for shoppers leaving the Wrekin Retail Park in Telford.

Ocado, which offers one hour delivery slots to customers, said conditions created “delays in some areas” and apologised for the inconvenience yesterday.

Tesco customers took to Facebook to complain about late deliveries yesterday. A spokesman for Tesco responded: “Snow is fantastic for snowmen and sledging but I’m afraid it’s not great when we’re trying to deliver your groceries.

“Unfortunately we are experiencing a fair amount of disruption today and our customer service team will be contacting you if there’s going to be a problem with your delivery. Really sorry for the inconvenience.”

Sainsbury’s said its supply chain had suffered “minimal” disruption and that it had seen a “huge rush” on heaters and shovels from shoppers.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Our stores and depots across the country saw minimal disruption thanks to the contingency plans we have in place for cold weather. We saw a huge rush for customers stocking up on cold weather staples such as thermal clothing, heaters, de-icer and snow shovels and cold and flu remedies were up 24 per cent year on year.”

Sainsbury’s said it was well prepared for the conditions. It had stocked up on 12,000 tonnes of pink salt and had an option of 4000 tonnes more while its three regional hubs each hold 66 tonnes of grit.

The grocer said canned and packaged products sold well, up nearly 15% year on year, driven by strong sales in hot drinks and soups – up 22% and 32% respectively.

A spokesman for The Co-operative Group said: “There was an increase in the sale of certain products, such as milk, bread and fresh vegetables, on Saturday, although there was no evidence of any panic buying. Fortunately, accurate weather forecasts appear to have helped customers plan ahead.

“Our supply chain held up really well and all deliveries made it out of the depots. However, a small number of stores in remote locations did not receive deliveries due to poor access, but normal service has now resumed and deliveries have been made to all stores.”